Futures are changeable things
by Bkipper
Summary: Piper's been constantly wondering about the future, and the only person who can ease her mind is Aerrow. I think i'll add chapters, but i'm not sure...
1. Chapter 1

Takes place after The Forbidden City... so if you didn't see it, some things might not make sense.

**Futures are changeable things**

The purple glow the Oracle crystal gave was faint; it didn't help Piper get to sleep. Even if the crystal was now useless, she still tinkered with it occasionally, constantly wondering something that was driving her crazy.

"_What was the oracle like? What did you see?" Piper glanced to him._

"_I saw the future, but it's not really the future anymore." Aerrow replied._

_Piper turned away to the sunset, and could feel his green eyes on her face._

Aerrow had been in her life since the teen could remember. Almost every memory she could dig out always had leaf green eyes on the side. He gave her that carefree rush that flew, no, exploded in her veins whenever he took her into another adventure. He was forever in her past... but what about the future?

This question was on her mind most of the time.

The night chill was blocked by her window, and she turned from the crystal to look out, the stars twinkling silent messages to one another. Piper frowned, recalling all the bad dreams that had been plaguing her lately. Most were of losing the ones closest to her, due to the war. She could see her nightmare now:

"_AERROW!" She screamed, missing his hand as he fell down, down, down, and disappearing into the depths of the ravine. She laid on the edge of the cliff, his screaming face plastered into her mind. The blood from the cut on her cheek was dripping off her chin with her tears. _

"_Look who's next." The Dark Ace hissed, kicking her over the edge. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate with a heavy heart._

"Hey."

Piper jumped in her seat, nightmare wiped from her mind, and looked back to her door which was open. Aerrow was slightly leaning on the doorway, looking a bit tired as she did.

Piper only smiled and motioned for him to come in. He sat in the stool next to her.

"Is everything okay? You've been awfully quiet lately. Ever since I gave you the Oracle crystal... Did you see something bad!?" His voice was racing like his mind, trying to read her.

"No, Aerrow...I just have lots on my mind. The future,"

"Isn't going to be bad. I fixed it." Aerrow smiled a bit, trying to ease her. She sighed. He just didn't get it.

"What did you see?" She asked again, but he was stubborn.

"I told you. It's not the future anymore." he said softly.

"I know what you said!" Piper's head whipped around to his. He sat straight in surprise. "I'm so sorry, Aerrow. So many things are coming...I mean, Finn, Junko, Stork, Radarr...You. You've all been in my past and given me so much. But, are you in my future?"

Aerrow's face softened at her conclusion. "Of course I'll be." He tried to sound as positive as he could, but he couldn't deny her this information any longer.

"I just really... _really _want to know what you saw." Piper couldn't look at him, so many things were uncertain to her.

Aerrow put his hand on her shoulder. Her orange eyes locked on his, and the Sky knight's heart suddenly beat fast as if he had been running.

"Piper, I was able to repair it, but... the future was terrible. We lost."

Piper's gasp rang like a blade through cloth. She stood up.

"Aerrow... oh no." She knew if they lost, his life would be lost too. Aerrow's eyes saw her skin go pale, and her eyes lose so much shine. He cupped her face in his hands and didn't shift them away when her tears rolled onto his lighter hands.

"Don't cry, please Piper. That was the future. I changed it. I_ changed _it!" He repeated himself but she couldn't cease her crying.

The one darn thing she had feared the very most...

"I lost you." She choked out, more tears streaming down her face as a sudden flash of his screaming face entered her mind.

"No...No. No." Aerrow reassured her, getting off the stool to hug her close. She cried silently, each gasping breath ripping deeper into his heart. Piper's arms were between them, and held close to her collar. Her fingers suddenly shifted back and forth, tickling his neck. They worked their way around the diamond necklace that was the most precious thing she ever owned. It was so precious because Aerrow had given it to her. He pulled away a bit, looked at her necklace as she settled in his arms.

Piper's slender fingers were laying on the diamond pendent. Aerrow rested one of his hands around the necklace and her hand. His rough fingers were cold, and made her shiver. His other arm wrapped tighter around her waist to keep her with him.

"I'm sor-sorry." Piper stumbled with her words, trying to get them out as she started to calm down.

"Don't be. If I lost you..." Aerrow closed his eyes and tilted his head down to hers.

"You didn't. And you never will." Piper needed to assure him now, and was more than willing to do so. "And I won't lose you."

He opened his eyes again, the leaf green color filling her vision. His red hair began to run into her own dark black/blue locks. She brushed her tears away, eyes suddenly tired.

Aerrow's forehead rested on hers as his hand went from her neck to the desk, picking up a purple crystal. He held the Oracle crystal between their faces. The purple glow seemed to have grown stronger. He spoke.

"Futures are changeable things, if you have someone that makes you want to fix it." Aerrow and Piper looked at one another, Piper was speechless. He wanted to change the future. For Atmos. For the Storm Hawks. For _her._ She put her hand on the top of the crystal, his hand on the bottom.

The Oracle crystal began to get warm, and burst with light as a vision flew out of the crystal in a purple haze.

A little girl, her green eyes shining, brushed her short dark black/blue hair out of her eyes as a thing that looked like Radarr settled on her shoulders. Another apparition flashed in the light. Two boys were on sky boards, one with red hair and orange eyes, the other older one with dark hair tipped with red and green eyes. They laughed whole heartedly and zoomed out of the purple light's view. The children were in one more quick vision, then the purple light shrunk back into the crystal, and it cracked with a loud POP!

Piper dropped the crystal, Aerrow pulling away a bit to practically throw it onto the desk.

"What was that?!" She cried, grasping his hand. He shook his head, totally dumbfounded.

"I don't know. Who were those people?" He replied.

"I'd say they were you're kids." Finn's smug voice broke into the room, and the two turned to the door, lightly blushing.

"WHAT?!" They said at once. Then Piper fiddled with her necklace again.

"Finn, how long have you been there?" She asked with her orange eyes wide.

"Since Aerrow pulled that crystal in front of your face." shrugged the blonde, and Aerrow glanced to Piper. She looked back, and they flushed pink.

"How do you know? They could have been our ancestors." the Sky Knight suggested.

"Then why is it called the oracle crystal? It only sees the future, remember?" Finn caught both of them. "And please, they looked like you guys so much it wasn't even funny. That boy with the red and black hair! Christ! You guys are in **so** much denial." He chuckled and started to leave. "I'm gonna get lots of mileage out of this." Finn left, still laughing to himself.

"Well, uh..." Piper tried to say something.

"Yeah..." The teen stumbled over words, just staring at her.

Piper sighed, her shoulders sagged. "I don't know what to say."

"Then don't" He said, and kissed her on the cheek. She was frozen, her mouth open in shock. Then her orange eyes danced again as they had before all the worrying about the future, all the nightmares, all the questions. Aerrow smiled, his heart seemed to grow. Piper's blush still remained, and she turned to her bed.

"I'm going to sleep. I think I'll be able to get some tonight." The crystal specialist slipped under her covers and curled into a ball, conserving her warmth. She heard footsteps clanging against the metal. Aerrow placed a hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead, his lips lightly brushing her skin.

"Sweet dreams, Piper." And then she heard him no more.

Piper was still marveling how gentle he was to her when she fell asleep, his blessing of sweet dreams lasting for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

Only because you guys wanted it...

**Chapter two**

The sun greeted Piper with a heavenly glow that made her eyes light up like a flame of a fire. The girl's eyes fluttered prettily before opening. Piper then smiled, letting the memories of her latest dream flow through her mind. The image of the children that Finn had claimed to be her own made her smile wider, but then set her mouth in a straight line. _How did Aerrow feel about this?_ But that thought faded as the children came into her mind again. Looking to her clock, she realized it was about seven thirty, and breakfast started in an hour. Piper leaned back against the wall and grabbed her sketchbook. She flipped to an empty page and began to draw.

--------------------

"Good morning, everyone!" Piper exclaimed to the team walking into the room. Stork was no where to be seen, Radarr was sitting near Aerrow, and Junko only smiled at her before continuing with his breakfast.

"You're happy today." said Aerrow before shifting over a seat for her to sit on the bench around the table.

"Well, why not be?" She got back up to grab a bowl and some cereal as Finn waltzed in, with the most triumphant look on his face. Aerrow caught a glance to Finn and looked back down to his toast. Finn snatched one and headed to Piper, Aerrow about to snap at him for stealing his breakfast.

Piper was pushing the cereal box back up into the shelf as Finn grabbed it and settled for his own bowl.

"Finn, if you're gonna-"

"Gonna, what?" He smirked at her, and looked like he was about to break down laughing. Then Piper noticed the small bag he had draped at his side. She was about to question it when the milk she had been pouring spilled over the bowl and onto her hand.

"Oh!" She squeaked. Her tan hand pulled away as the milk fanned out onto the counter. She lifted her bowl up and put it onto a towel, then turned around to fetch another one to mop up the counter. Piper almost slammed into Aerrow's chest.

"EP! Aerrow!"

"Sorry!" He replied as the red headed teen steadied her. "Here's another towel. I'll clean the counter."

She didn't move; she was frozen. They were just so close, too close for her brain to process. He froze also, finally catching on to their proximity. Aerrow could feel his face grow warm, and saw her cheeks glow pink. Her muscles tensed, she didn't know what to do. Finn smiled to a length that didn't even look human.

"Aerrow and Piper sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!" Finn called, laughing with Junko.

Piper blinked and pulled away, as if Aerrow was made of fire. He only blushed deeper, and Piper sympathetically smiled as she saw his ears go red too.

She went to the bench along the table, her bowl of cereal now safe to use. Aerrow soon joined her, Radarr chewing on his last piece of toast. Piper stifled a giggle and Aerrow's shoulders slumped as he picked up the now empty plate and headed for the toaster. Finn smirked mischievously and pulled something out of his bag.

"Hey Junko, guess what happened last night!?" He said loudly, letting his voice echo as it froze the two in particular.

"What, Finn?" The wallop asked with pure naivety.

"Well, remember that Oracle crystal that Aerrow gave to Piper?" He continued, Aerrow dropping the toast into the toaster, hitting the button with a weird jerk.

"It's useless now, right?" said Junko.

"You'd think that, but last night, when Aerrow and Piper both held the crystal, it, it..."

"Yeah? Yeah?" Junko was interested, but Finn always made every story seem like it was history in the making.

"Burst into one last vision of _their _future! It showed their kids!!" Fin threw his arms into the air for emphasis. "I even drew a picture."

Piper shrunk into her seat as far as she could, and Aerrow's toast was slowly burning in the toaster.

"Their kids are stick figures?" Junko asked, and the other two covered small giggles, thinking he had lost. But Finn only smiled wider.

"Alright, alright. I can't really draw that good. And besides," Finn pulled the other thing out of the bag. "Piper draws them much better." He waved her sketchbook in the air.

Piper dropped her spoon into the bowl, sending milk all over Radarr, who was trying to get into the cereal earlier.

"WHAT??!! _**FINN**_!!!" She was about to launch her self at him, but was trembling in her seat as she saw Aerrow look at her then walk over.

"She even gave them names! HA!" Finn showed them proudly to Junko, who was marveling the lifelike sketches of the three children.

A small girl was smiling wide, her eyes the only thing colored. The leaf green eyes shone under her bangs that looked just like Piper's. Her white sundress was shadowed perfectly and her short black hair looked wind blown as the still-framed tan skinned girl seemed to run along the top of the page. Next to the sketch, the name _Eisa_ was written.

"How do you say that little girl's name, Piper?" He asked; his voice sailing across the room like a butterfly.

"E-sah!" She snapped, and then covered her mouth. Aerrow silently leaned closer over Finn's shoulder.

The next sketch was more animated. It showed a boy who looked about nine on an air skimmer. His hair and eyes were colored, the red hair slightly covering his eyes, like Aerrow's hair did. The orange eyes appeared to dance as his smile showed the love he had for the sky. Under this sketch, _Wrestin _was written

Piper tried to slowly sneak away, but Finn called her out again.

"This Weeston kid looks a lot like Aerrow, don't you think, Piper?"

She thought she was going to die. "It's pronounced, Wes-tin." She murmured for her own dignity, which she believed was disappearing as she spoke.

The last picture near the bottom showed a boy about eleven holding what looked like one of Aerrow's blades. The boy's hair was Piper's blue/black, but faded to a red like Aerrow's hair at their ends. His green eyes, similar to Eisa's, sparked with a fierce determination like the Storm Hawks leader. _Morsho _was this boy's name.

"Wow, Piper, you draw good." Junko looked at her, and she forced a smile to him.

"Yeah, and looking at all the other drawings," Finn flipped through the rest of the pages, and Piper's anger was lit again. "I'd say she worked extra hard on these sketches."

Aerrow grabbed the sketchbook from Finn's hands, making him jump.

"Dude, where did you come from!?" He practically shouted.

Aerrow walked to Piper, who looked away, afraid to even see his face. He pulled her hand forward.

"Aerrow!"

Placing her sketchbook in her hand, Aerrow forced her to look up to him. She blushed prettily and scanned him with her orange eyes. His own leaf green eyes made her skin prickle, her cheeks flush pinker.

"This is yours." He said softly, almost in a whisper, making her listen.

"Th-thank you." Piper stood up, and walked out of the room. The door shut behind her, and she embraced herself, trying to regain her composure. She heard the door open again and slow footsteps come to her. Silence echoed in the hall, and Piper dared not to twist around to her leader.

"Piper. Please look at me." Aerrow's begging voice reached her, and she turned. He looked uncertain, yet determined. "Do- do you really think... those children," He picked up her sketchbook, displaying the sketches of the kids for them both to see. "Could really be... ours someday?"

Piper was astonished to say the least. She had truly hoped to be in his future all along, to be by his side always, to share something to love, to love... him.

Her heart burst with an emotion unknown to her, but made her want to sing. The girl was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she almost forgot to answer Aerrow. She nodded lightly, smiling at him.

The Sky Knight could contain himself no longer. Aerrow dropped the sketchbook, grabbed her face, and pulled her to him with such a passion it made her gasp.

She almost buckled backwards, crumbling under him. Piper let out a small whimper as she felt nothing but his mouth all over hers. The simple act of his kiss nearly made her faint. He was no longer afraid, and went as far possible to let her know what this meant to him. It was his entire life he was holding, he was kissing. And he knew, right there, he wanted it. Aerrow was her life as well, her true being, and through all their fourteen years together, she hadn't realized it till now. Piper threw her arms around his shoulders, shifting their weight backwards into the wall. Aerrow and Piper didn't break until oxygen was needed in order to live, and they pulled away nearly hyperventilating.

"I think I love you." She murmured softly, suddenly afraid.

"I know I love you." Aerrow retorted with, the sentence as full as his kiss. Piper's eyes were all he saw, all he cared for at that very moment.

Then the fire alarm went off, water spraying down from the jets on the ceiling. A muffled cry was heard from Finn:

"THE TOSTER'S ON FIRE!!!!"

They only laughed and met with another deep kiss.

Far on the other side of the _Condor_, the Oracle crystal glowed merrily one last time, and then faded for all eternity.


End file.
